Mastery Transcript Now Accepted at 1,000+ Colleges
Applicants can submit competency-based records to more than 1,000 U.S. institutions, including every Ivy League school.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in College Applications
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More than 1,000 colleges and universities now accept the Mastery Transcript, a competency-based record that Mastery.org says roughly doubled its accepting institutions since 2024, when about 500 recognized it. All eight Ivy League schools are among those accepting it.
Why it matters
The Mastery Transcript gives applicants an alternative way to document skills through authentic student work verified by teachers, rather than relying only on grades. Mastery.org says admissions officers want evidence they can trust, and the growth in accepting schools signals that more admissions offices are willing to consider this format.
The directory lists 1,011 institutions, including all eight Ivy League schools, with more than 100 in New York, 36 in Florida, 30 in Georgia, more than 40 in Pennsylvania, and 20 in Texas. Schools define the competencies they value and can include traditional grades alongside them.
The players
Mastery.org
A nonprofit organization that runs the Mastery Transcript and maintains the college acceptance directory of participating institutions.
Matt Sornson
CEO and co-founder of Mastery.org.
Aaron Rasmussen
Co-founder of Mastery.org.
The details
The Mastery Transcript records student knowledge and skills through examples of authentic student work rather than only letter grades. Schools define the competencies they value, and teachers evaluate student work to verify demonstrated skills. Admissions officers can view an applicant's strengths through an interactive profile and open supporting evidence with a click. Mastery.org builds on nearly a decade of work by the Mastery Transcript Consortium.
Timeline
2024: approximately 500 institutions recognized the Mastery Transcript.
November 5, 2026: Mastery.org announced that more than 1,000 institutions accept the Mastery Transcript.
Education Landscape
The Mastery Transcript's expansion comes as Mastery.org connects it to generative AI reshaping education and prompting reconsideration of traditional measures. Its growth from about 500 to 1,011 accepting institutions places it among the alternatives to grade-based records that admissions offices are beginning to evaluate.
If you are preparing to apply, check whether the colleges on your list accept the Mastery Transcript in Mastery.org's directory before assuming it is an option. Ask each school's admissions office how it weighs a competency-based record alongside traditional grades.
The takeaway
Acceptance of the Mastery Transcript has roughly doubled since 2024, but the source does not detail how each school evaluates it. Before relying on it in an application, confirm with each admissions office how it reviews competency-based records.
Further reading
For background on how applicants present their records, see College Applications.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Manila times.
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